Efficient photovoltaics-integrated hydrogen fuel cell-based hybrid system: Energy management and optimal configuration

Due to their intermittent nature, the use of renewable energy sources has faced the challenges of power insecurity and low efficiency. Recently, fuel cells (FCs) have become a potential choice for backup-power generation in remote microgrids due to their reduced maintenance needs and long lifecycle. However, the efficiency of hydrogen FCs as backup power needs to be improved. The efficiency is related to system sizing and operational techniques. Thus, this paper proposes an efficient energy management strategy and optimal configuration models based on a hybrid system including photovoltaics (PVs) and hydrogen FCs to achieve a high operational efficiency and optimize the system configuration. The system model is built, and an energy management strategy is proposed first. This strategy determines when the PV and FC supply power to a load under various conditions. Proper sizing of the sub-components in the PV/FC hybrid system also plays an essential role in ensuring continuous power flow. To ensure power quality, the hybrid system configuration is estimated using a systematic method without affecting the power quality to minimize residual power losses. In addition, various essential simulations are performed to verify the proposed model. The results indicate that the total efficiency of the system can reach 47.9%.